India vs Netherlands Davis Cup Qualifiers tie to be held on Feb 7 & 8 in Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Jan 21 (IANS) India prepares for an exciting Davis Cup challenge against the Netherlands in the Round 1 Qualifiers, scheduled for February 7 and 8. The two-day tie will start with two singles matches on the first day, followed by doubles and reverse singles on the second day at the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA) Stadium.

The official draw ceremony, part of the buildup, will be held on February 6, previewing a thrilling weekend of team tennis.

India enters the tie ranked No. 33 worldwide, facing a tough challenge against No. 4 ranked Netherlands, who were runners-up at the 2024 Davis Cup. India’s singles lineup is led by Sumit Nagal, with Dhakshineswar Suresh and Karan Singh, while Yuki Bhambri and Rithvik Bollipalli will handle doubles.

The team is captained by Rohit Rajpal, with Ashutosh Singh serving as coach.

The Netherlands Davis Cup team is expected to depend on Jesper de Jong and Guy den Ouden for singles matches, while the seasoned doubles team of David Pel and Sander Arends offers stability under captain Paul Haarhuis.

On the occasion, Sunil Yajaman, Honorary Joint Secretary of KSLTA, said, “The Davis Cup has always been a special competition for Indian tennis, and we are delighted to welcome fans for this important Qualifiers tie against the Netherlands. Tickets for the tie are now live and we encourage fans to come out and support the team in person. Home support plays a huge role in Davis Cup ties, and we are confident of creating a great atmosphere over the two days.”

Tickets for the tie are now on sale at Ticketgenie.

Bengaluru has a storied Davis Cup history, having hosted numerous tennis matches over the years. The city has hosted India’s matches against Australia in 1970, Sweden in 1985, Indonesia in 2013, Serbia in 2014, and Uzbekistan in 2017.

The Indian tennis team has made it to the finals three times: in 1966, 1974, and 1987.

The Indian team qualified for the 2026 qualifiers with a solid 3-1 win against Switzerland in September, their first victory over a European team since 1993. Led by Sumit Nagal and Dhakshineswar Suresh, the performance was also India’s best result since the competition format changed in 2019.

--IANS

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